Charlotte Sports Foundation
The Charlotte Sports Foundation is bringing a star-studded tennis exhibition to the Spectrum Center this December, titled the Charlotte Invitational and headlined by current world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and American stars Frances Tiafoe, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. The double-header event is scheduled for Dec. 6 and will be put on by CSF, Unified Events and CLT Sports Ventures, with further support from IMG (which represents Alcaraz, Tiafoe and Keys).
CSF boasts an impressive portfolio of events, including the Duke’s Mayo Bowl (which it has operated since 2010) and recent successes in the
Jumpman Invitational (entering its third year in 2024) and Ally Tipoff (launched last fall and
recently renewed for another three years).
This, however, is the foundation’s first foray into tennis, a sport CSF Exec Dir Danny Morrison is bullish on in the market. The Dec. 6 date also positions the Charlotte Invitational one night before the 2024 ACC Football Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium, setting up a lively sports weekend in the city.
“Charlotte is a really outstanding tennis market, [there is] a lot of interest in tennis,” Morrison said. “We believe this will be well-received.”
Morrison called Eric Grand, co-founder & exec producer of CLT Sports Ventures, and Max Eisenbud, SVP/IMG Tennis & head of clients, instrumental to getting the concept off the ground.
“We started working on [the Charlotte Invitational] last fall, and it came together pretty quickly,” Morrison said. “We leaned heavily on the expertise of both Eric and Max, and so we were able to get this amazing lineup [of players].”
Andy Roddick has also counseled CSF on methods of enhancing the player experience.
Morrison noted CSF is working through its ticketing strategy, but he expects a retrofit Spectrum Center to hold about 18,000 spectators. The foundation plans to offer premium hospitality as part of “various ticket opportunities,” Morrison said. Tickets will go on sale in mid-July.
CSF has also begun engaging potential corporate sponsors – with the most pressing piece of inventory the event’s naming rights -- and broadcast partners. Morrison called those conversations productive, though no deals have been formalized.
The event will see separate singles matches between Stephens-Keys and Alcaraz-Tiafoe, but the exhibition-level stakes could lead to further tinkering with the format, Morrison added. Shuffling the four players into mixed doubles pairings is one possibility.
“We think we’ll be able to have a lot of fun elements associated with it,” Morrison said. “But the most fun of all is the high quality of the play.”
